Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Discover The Right Weight Loss Support


Something that can make the difference for you when you’re trying to shed pounds is finding good weight loss support.  This isn’t always easy.  Often the people closest to us are the least supportive; sometimes they can be downright discouraging.

If losing weight is something you’ve tried to do many times in the past but never managed to succeed, or if you lost weight only to gain it back as so many of us have, then maybe they’ve heard you say you were going to do it before.  While it’s not fair that they wouldn’t be supportive now, often that’s the reason the people closest to us don’t get excited about our new efforts. 

If you feel the people closest to you might have that discouraging attitude, then consider not even mentioning your efforts to them.  You won’t get any weight loss support from them if they don’t know, but if they’re not likely to be supportive anyway it’s better to keep it a secret than have to deal with someone discouraging.

Sometimes the people we love sabotage our efforts without meaning to.  The husband will start bringing home candy bars when the wife announces her new diet, for instance.  When people fear change or worry that a new, slimmer you might make you want them to lose weight or change something about themselves, this saboteur-like behavior can start just when you need weight loss support from them the most.  Don’t take this personally—most people don’t even realize they’re doing it. 

If you have friends or family who also need to lose weight but aren’t currently concerned about it (at least, they don’t mention it to you) be careful how much you talk about your own efforts.  At best, they’ll be happy for you at first but then wonder why you keep bringing it up, at worst they’ll feel like your success just points out their own failure in that area.  It’s one thing to need weight loss support from those we love, but we also have to take into account that everyone’s human and people will react differently to your efforts and your success.

If all this seems discouraging, take heart!  There are two great ways to find weight loss support that pretty much guarantee you won’t be unintentionally alienating any family or friends, and you also won’t be giving them the opportunity to take the wind out of your sails by unintentionally (or intentionally) being hurtful and discouraging. Look in your local paper for weight loss groups that meet once a week for the purpose of supporting each other.  Several that cost a certain amount per week like Weight Watchers exist, as well as meetings that only require a donation like OA or TOPS.

Another great way to meet people on the same journey is through online support groups. This also has the benefit of anonymity, and convenience. An Internet search will lead you to dozens of places where you can find great weight loss support online.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Weight Loss Before After Success Stories


What happens after you diet?  Weight loss before & after stories are common.  When you lose a significant amount of weight, your life can change in many pleasant ways.  Here are some weight loss before & after stories.

Margie had gained 30 pounds after her second pregnancy.  She was sluggish – and not just because she had to keep up with a baby and a toddler.  She felt that her weight was keeping her from being the mother she wanted to be.

Margie went to a dietitian to help her change her food choices.  One of the things Susan, her dietitian, suggested was to eat a variety of whole foods that were low in fat and high in fiber.  Margie had been making a variety of quick meals and picking up fast food because of her duties as a mom. 

She decided that it was important to start cooking wholesome meals for her husband and herself.  She quickly started losing one to two pounds a week.  Within 4 months, she was back to her pre-pregnancy weight.  What a great weight loss before & after story.

Another factor that was important in her weight loss was wanting to create a family of healthy eaters.  She didn’t want her kids to think that food came from McDonalds.  Fast food should be an occasional treat not a mainstay of their diets.

Margie’s weight loss before & after story is an inspiration to all new moms struggling to lose the baby weight.

Rob was a teacher at an exclusive public school who has his own weight loss before & after story.  One of the perks of teaching at the school was that it provided a catered lunch each day.  In addition, fellow teachers often brought specialty foods to share at lunchtime.

The camaraderie in the lunchroom was one of the strengths of the school program.  But it was killing Rob’s waistline.  He decided that he would bring a low calorie sack lunch and begin walking during 20 minutes of his lunch break.  He worried that skipping the lunchroom would mean he would distance himself from his fellow teachers.  But, when they saw that he was losing a significant amount of weight on his program, many of the other teachers joined in.  Soon, there was a teacher’s walking club at lunch time.  A “club” based around an unhealthy eating pattern was replaced by one based on a healthy one.  What a wonderful weight loss before & after story!

Kerry was a busy mom with a 50+ hour a week job.  When she wasn’t working, she wanted to spend time with her two boys, Gregg who was 9 and Vince who was 11.  She felt guilty about going to the gym because that was an hour and a half she could have been spending with her kids.

But, as she crept up near 200 pounds, she knew something had to change.  One thing she did was get up a half hour earlier in the morning to take a walk.  Then, when she got home in the evenings, she made a point of playing 20 minutes of basketball with the boys every day.  Her new physical activity combined with a low fat, lower calorie diet, led to her losing 55 pounds over the course of a year. 

Being able to increase the time she spent with her kids as well as losing the weight was a win-win for Kerry.  That’s a truly great weight loss before & after story.

Do you have your own weight loss before & after story?  Be sure to share it with others as it can encourage them to lose weight as well. 

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Secrets to Losing Weight Quickly


The secrets to losing weight quickly have been used by some of Hollywood’s most beautiful people for many years because many of the stars depend on keeping their bodies in pristine condition to ensure that they are offered more work in movies, films and on television.

Obviously you don’t have to be a Hollywood star to learn some of these secrets. However, you do have to know where to look for them, which is the key to your successful use of these secrets.

There are many benefits to losing weight quickly. One of the best benefits is that you can see the weight coming off because you’re losing it quickly. Gaining access to just some of the secrets to losing weight quickly can help you to begin losing the weight you need to lose so that you can have the sexy body you’ve always dreamed of having. Many secrets involve understanding how your metabolism works and power foods that cause you to burn fat quickly. Sometimes these secrets are available near our fingertips we just don’t know how to locate them.

So if you’re looking for the secrets to losing weight quickly, check around. Do a keyword search on the Internet and visit some of the sites that advertise that they have secrets to losing weight quickly. Pay attention to other places you see articles that say they contain the secrets to losing weight quickly. There are sources all around, including diet plans and programs that contain such secrets and can be yours just for the searching.

Once you train yourself to be on the alert for the secrets to losing weight quickly, you may discover that there are secrets everywhere and more secrets being made available on a regular basis. The key to learning the secrets to losing weight quickly is to pay attention. Some secrets to quick weight loss are advertised as secrets and give an indication that not everyone knows them.

Whether you have just a few pounds to lose or need to lose a large amount of weight, you can be sure that finding dieting secrets that tell you how to lose weight quickly will help to encourage you to stay on your diet until you reach your goal and ideal weight. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting a diet for the first time or preparing to diet again, you owe it to yourself to discover some of the secrets the stars and athletes have been using to stay in shape.

Having a shapely body shows the world that you care about your health and how others see you and perceive you. This means that diet and exercise are important to you but it also means that you cannot expect anyone else to just hand you the secrets to losing weight quickly, you have to find them. Using the secrets to losing weight quickly can be your key to losing the weight and keeping it off for good.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Weighing The Risks Of Weight Loss Drugs


Almost everyone who has ever tried to lose weight has tried weight loss drugs at some point. Some have worked, and some have ended up being proven very dangerous.

Some that have been around for years can be purchased over the counter and claim that if you take them every day, they’ll suppress your appetite, you’ll eat less and you’ll lose weight. 

Newer over-the-counter weight loss drugs are designed to help you while you’re eating less, and can have embarrassing and uncomfortable consequences if you stray from your eating plan while taking them.

These over-the-counter pills are technically weight loss drugs, even though you don’t have to get a doctor’s approval before you purchase them. Just that they can be purchased in any store without a prescription should lead you to doubt how truly effective they are.

Read the enclosed information very carefully on any weight loss aids you purchase, and one thing becomes pretty clear.  The pill you have to take seems to do very little, because while you’re instructed to take the pills (or pills) you’re also told that weight loss will happen best if you follow a diet plan at the same time.

So are the weight loss drugs responsible for any weight you lose while taking them, or is the diet plan you follow what’s letting you drop the pounds?

While some of the pills really can suppress your appetite and make it easier for you to eat less food, it’s the diet plan you follow while on the pills that is actually responsible for any weight you lose. But people still associate the act of taking the pills with the lost weight, so they believe these things make a huge difference.

Other types of weight loss drugs require a prescription and careful monitoring by your doctor.  The pills don’t claim to burn the fat off you or rip away the pounds; they’re designed to help you eat less by making you less hungry.

If you really can’t follow a diet plan because you can’t stop yourself from eating more than your plan calls for, then prescription appetite suppressants could help you greatly. But you should understand that there’s always a risk of side effects when you take any drug.

Weight loss drugs haven’t always been a good thing, either, with some flooding the market only to be recalled a few months later because it turned out they were dangerous.  People have died taking both over-the-counter and prescription weight loss medications, so you have to decide for yourself whether getting some help feeling less hungry is that important for your weight loss efforts, and whether it’s worth any potential risks to your health.

Herbal remedies are drugs, too, so carefully examine the claims that any herb or supplement can help you lose weight with no side effects. Just because an herb is natural, doesn’t mean it’s safe or effective. Talk to your doctor about weight loss drugs, and then carefully decide whether or not they’re right for you.

My recommendation is, if it is not absolutely necessary, stay away! Why not try and get help with how to lose weight calories in and calories out! That way you will lose all the fat in a healthy way without the dangers of weight loss drugs.

Go To How To Lose Weight Calories Now!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

How to Diet Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind


Many people will tell you the basics of how to diet: eat less and exercise more.  But, there is a reason that 30 percent of Americans are on a diet at any given time – this simple “how to diet” formula doesn’t work for keeping weight off.

When you think about how to diet, think in terms of abundance.  Rather than think about what you have to cut out of your life, think about what you can add.

Specifically, think about adding more vegetables to your diet.  Try to “sneak in” five servings of vegetables a day.  (Try to get two to three servings of fruit as well, but make sure you get all five servings of vegetables.)

Vegetables are wonderful foods.  They are high in vitamins and minerals needed to keep your body healthy.  They have tons of fiber which keeps you full.  But, perhaps for weight management purposes, their best attribute is that they are water dense which means that they have very few calories for the amount of food you can eat.

In order to make room for vegetables in your daily menu, you have to get creative about how you serve your meals.  For instance, many people think of dinner as a slab of meat, a hunk of potato, and a garnishment of vegetables that may or may not be eaten.  This is not how to diet.

Instead, use meat to accent and flavor your meals and make the vegetables a prime ingredient.  A chicken stir fry with lots of onions, carrots, broccoli, green peppers, and red peppers has far more vegetables than a spoonful of peas or corn on the side of your plate.

Think about serving soups and stews that have a large vegetable component.  How to diet when you are going to have a heavy meat meal is to start with a vegetable rich broth based soup.  This way, you will start to fill up long before you get to the calorie dense meat portion of the meal.

You can also try to “sneak” vegetables into meals.  There have been several recipe books lately that show moms how to slip veggies into their kids’ favorite recipes, but you can do this for yourself if you want to.    For instance, make mashed potatoes with half cauliflower instead of potatoes.  Or, puree broccoli and add it to spaghetti sauce.  The varieties of how to diet by sneaking vegetables into food are endless.

How to diet with vegetables isn’t limited to dinner either.  Think about how you can incorporate more vegetables into breakfast and lunch too.  For instance, instead of a bologna sandwich with a limp piece of lettuce, add tomatoes, sprouts, and spinach to beef it up.  For breakfast, instead of a bagel, have a healthy carrot raison bran muffin. 

And, you can even get your vegetables in when it comes to desert.  A piece of pumpkin pie has a full serving of vegetables.  You can cut the calories by not eating the crust.

When people ask you how to diet, you can now tell them that you fill up on vegetables and don’t need to worry about cutting out other things.

Go To How Can I Lose Fat For Some More Excellent Weight Loss Tips

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Truth About Hypnosis For Weight Loss


Hypnosis is something we typically think of as a type of entertainment, but have you ever considered hypnosis for weight loss? It’s easy to be skeptical of trying to use hypnosis to deal with a problem as serious as obesity, but maybe it’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. Hypnosis for weight loss is certainly an appealing idea – it gives people a relatively easy way out of their weight problem by stopping their cravings for food at the source.

One problem with weight loss through hypnosis is the same problem that plagues other weight loss solutions. There are a lot of scams out there, and the people behind them will not think twice about trying to take your money for a product that doesn’t do anything at all. Hypnosis has the same problem. You may be able to trust some claims about hypnosis weight loss therapy, but there are just as many ones that are full of lies.

The old adage usually proves true in these situations: if something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. If hypnosis for weight loss treatment claims it can help you lose some crazy number of pounds in a couple weeks or similar exaggerations, it’s pretty safe to bet that it’s a scam. If you find claims that state that hypnosis can completely alter the way the mind works to prevent eating, they’re probably bogus.

However, the fact remains that hypnosis can help you lose weight. It’s just that it won’t cause those love handles to magically melt away overnight. Hypnosis is more science than magic – all it really is when a person enters a state of deep, relaxed concentration in which they are more suggestible. This means that ideas put into a person’s mind during a hypnosis session are much more likely to stick.

A session of hypnosis won’t make you into some sort of robot that’s immune to cravings and programmed not to overeat. What it can do, though, is make a person more likely to adhere to a proper dietary plan. The effects are entirely mental. Hypnosis can’t “convince” your body to speed up weight loss, it can only implant the idea in your brain that maybe you really don’t need to eat that second piece of cake.

People seeking hypnotic solutions to weight loss should be especially careful of group hypnosis sessions. In order to work, hypnosis must be tailored specifically to the person receiving it. Group sessions clearly won’t work, as the hypnotist cannot interact with any single person on his or her own. You should also be warned against hypnosis cassettes or videos, as they share this same issue.

Hypnosis for weight loss is a very tempting thought. If you can train your mind to reduce your cravings and increase your willpower, you’ll be well on your way to losing weight. The important thing to remember is to be careful and study all the options before you buy a product or see a hypnotist, or else you might end with nothing at all.